WHO recommendations on the Portuguese policy programme on Healthy Eating

by coordinator

In its June 2016 Public Health Panorama, the WHO Europe published an article about the Portuguese National Programme for the Promotion of Healthy Eating (PNPAS), analysing the first years of its implementation and providing recommendations for the years to come. It was co-written by Pedro Graça, Director of this programme at the Portuguese Ministry of Health (Direcção-Geral de Saúde), which is a member of the FOOD programme. Launched in 2012, it is the first comprehensive national strategy in the field of food and nutrition in Portugal. It follows the strategic lines suggested by the WHO and the European Commission.

The PNPAS aims at addressing the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) that contribute to 85% of the total burden of disease in Portugal according to the Global Burden of Disease Study (2010). In 2014, more than half of Portuguese adults were overweight or obese (National Health Survey).

The report summarises the main actions led under this programme – specific surveys and studies, actions in schools for obesity prevention, awareness campaigns over healthy eating, specific training for professionals that can influence people’s eating habits, networking facilitation between involved actors, etc. – and draws recommendations for the years to come. Among others, the authors emphasise in their conclusion the need for a “broad multisectoral approach in order to establish alliances and partnerships among the different government sectors, the private sector and civil society”, considered as “one of the main challenges of food and nutrition policies, especially in Portugal, where integrated policies are not common”. Plus, in order to monitor and evaluate the policies implemented, the report stresses the importance of collecting data and improving the quality of indicators.

The FOOD programme is a very good example of a public-private partnership fostering healthy eating habits and therefore contributing to state policies’ objectives such as the PNPAS in Portugal. The barometers that are launched every year are a valuable source of information on employees’ eating habits and their evolving expectations.